Broken
by Sage of the Wolves
Summary: After the death of her leader and lover, Tayuya, Hinata takes over the reigns of the vampire Tribe, Dawn. However, since Tayuya'd death, Hinata has become distant and uncaring, her Tribe falling to ruin. Can a repentant enemy be the key that lights a fire in the apathetic leader, or will Hinata fall and take her Tribe down with her? HinataxFem!Gaara
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Naruto yada yada.**

 **Flashback**

 _Devil's Tongue (Vampire's native language)_

Dreams

 **In the trees of a large but deserted clearing, brown eyes took in the surroundings. The wind was nothing more than a gentle breeze and the small lake beyond was still, however she could tell that others were lying in wait as well. The owner of the eyes hissed out a warning and her soldiers readied themselves for her signal. However before she could do anything one of her soldiers, her own second-in-command Hinata, stepped forward.**

 **Bowing her head Hinata put her hand to top of Tayuya's and stared worriedly at her. "Tayuya, are you sure there is no other way to end this without fighting? The Eclipse Tribe outnumber us, there has to be another way."**

 **With a heavy sigh full of regret, Tayuya looked back on her deputy and shook her head, her wild red hair flaring out. "Temari is determined to avenge her brother, you know talking has done nothing to relieve her of the thought that we killed Kankuro. There is no other way, baby, we have to fight."**

 **Hinata shut her eyes tight and growled but she nodded all the same. Backing away, she got into position and Tayuya watched her steadily before turning back to the soon to be battlefield.**

 **Then with a flick of her wrist, she and her followers burst out into the clearing.**

 **At the same time, the other group that was along to lake shore charged forward too and the two factions collided with fangs and claws bared.**

 **In the middle of the fighting, Temari, a sandy blonde haired woman, and Tayuya sought each other out and after a short tussle, Temari had Tayuya pinned down and snarled down at her.**

 **"Tayuya, you will pay blood unto blood for killing Kankuro! I'll kill you however many times it takes to send your soul to hell!"**

 **Tayuya tried to push her off but to no avail, panic began to set in once the sandy-brown haired woman started to strangle her. Gasping for breath, Tayuya was just barely able to raise her hand and slash her claws across Temari's face.**

 **As Temari yelled out in pain, Tayuya used this moment to wriggle free and put some distance between them, while trying to get her breathing under control. As she ran, she snarled in frustration as her soldiers were being beaten back. Coming to one of her warriors' aid, a blue/black haired boy named Sasuke, she helped him push back a blonde fighter with a well aimed kick and a half dozen slashes to his ribs. The blonde, who looked no older than Sasuke ran back toward his own territory with Sasuke at his heels before Tayuya called him back.**

 **"He's beaten Sasuke, there's no reason to chase him anymore. Focus on the battle!"**

 **The young boy bared his fangs but nodded all the same, leaping back into the thick of battle to whichever comrade needed him. Tayuya watched him for a second before she was blindsided by a burly warrior, she managed to stay on her feet but that only made it easier for the man to take her in his arms and try to crush her. With a growl, Tayuya headbutted the male and while he was trying to clear his head, she headbutted him againbefore clinging to his shoulders and gouging out his eyes. While screaming in agony, the male began swinging his arms wildly and while Tayuya was able to dodge most of his attacks, she still took one heavy gash to her side. Deciding to end it quickly, the redhead surged forward and slashed his throat.**

 **Tayuya ignored the smell of his blood and looked around, trying to see if anyone else was in trouble. Just as she was about to turn around, Hinata came rolling towards her, wounded in few places with her hair matted with blood.**

 **"Hey baby, having fun?" The redhead joked halfheartedly picking the other up and looking her over before turning back to the battle.**

 **"We can't win, there's too many!" Hinata hissed softly, though she wanted to avoid it in the first place, now that there was a fight, Hinata was loath to retreat. But even so, she wasn't a fool and saw her Tribe-mates couldn't keep up this up forever.**

 **Tayuya was having the same feeling though she didn't want to admit it, her Tribe were being pushed back, closer to her when Tayuya finally sighed. "Fine, we can't fight anymore. Retreat, Dawn Tribe, retreat!"**

 **As her Tribe mates heard her call, the whole of Tayuya's fighters followed their leader back to their territory where the vampire of Dawn Tribe all seethed in anger while licking their wounds. Still they had to be on alert, they had just gone just inside their territory and were weak. They had to be careful, who knew what could happen. Tayuya looked around her defeated fighters and scowled, she knew they hated running as much as her but there was no choice, they couldn't keep fighting. They just couldn't.**

 **"We will try again to end this, but for now we must rest and recover. Temari will never stop thinking we killed Kankuro. We must be ready for whatever happens. We can't-" Tayuya was then cut off by a hand coming out of her chest. Turning her head stiffly, the Dawn Tribe leader saw Temari glaring hatefully at her.**

 **"I told you, Tayuya. You will pay with blood for what you did to Kankuro. Now die!" With a flick of her wrist, Temari pulled out Tayuya's heart causing her to cough up a geyser of blood. Dawn Tribe was frozen to the spot with only Hinata moving to catch her leader as she fell and Temari taking taking off. While cradling her dying lover close to her, the rest of the Tribe gave chase, howling for Temari's death.**

 **"Tayuya...stay with me...please...don't go." Hinata begged, holding Tayuya closer and beginning to hate herself for letting this happen.**

 **Tayuya gave a weak smile and gave a weak chuckle, though doing so hurt."Don't think...I can...baby. You have to...look after them now...call them back...take care of them...for...me..." Tayuya then slowly closed her eyes and went limp, Hinata, realizing what happened, shook Tayuya, desperately calling out to her and begging her to open her eyes. "Please, don't leave me! Tayuya!"**

Author's Note: So, new story. Let's see how this one does. Been having this floating around for a while. Hope you enjoy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Naruto yada yada.**

 **Flashback**

 _Devil's Tongue (Vampire's native language)_

Dreams

Early morning sunlight lit up the old mansion where the Dawn Tribe made their home. In one of the smaller rooms that belong to her and formerly Tayuya, Hinata woke with a start before wincing as the sun got in her eyes. It was that memory again; the memory of Tayuya's death would not leave her, no matter what she did. Even after three long years, the memory would not fade from her mind, it didn't help that her room still carried the dead leader's scent. But even with all of that, Hinata couldn't bring herself to move away from all of this, this room, her scent, it was the only thing of Tayuya that Hinata could call now. Closing her eyes and sighing, Hinata forced herself out of bed and out of the room, only to be met with the sound of arguing and fighting in a few rooms. Ignoring the fighting vampires and rolling her eyes, Hinata continued to walk forward only to be assaulted by the yelling voice of Sasuke, who was screaming at a pink haired vampire resting idly on a couch. Great, even more noise to deal with. Some of her Tribe saw her coming and looked at her unexpectedly, while others simply turned their heads, as if knowing Hinata wouldn't react much.

"Sakura, what you're saying is clearly meant as a challenge to the leader! Do you really think the Tribe will follow you?"

Sakura lifted her head with a soft snort before settling back down. "Tribe? You must be joking, Sasuke. We're not a Tribe anymore, ever since Tayuya died, we've become nothing more than a band of rouges. If Tayuya would have known what would happen, I'm sure she would have never let Hinata take her place."

The pinkette had only just finished speaking when she suddenly started to gasp for air, Hinata had walked over and began to strangle her with one hand, her claws digging into Sakura's neck causing it to bleed.

"You don't like the way things are going, eh Sakura? Then why don't you try to kill me and lead this band of rouges yourself?" Hinata's voice was quiet but her eyes glowed red with fury as she tightened her grip, making Sakura bleed more and finally the pinkette gurgled out a weak plea.

"I...I submit..."

Yet even with those words, Hinata continued to crush Sakura's windpipe, even after Sasuke tried to separate the two.

"Please, Leader, let Sakura go. She submitted, please you're going to kill her!"

Hinata gave Sasuke the barest of glances before her red eyes turned back to Sakura, who was starting to go limp in her hand. "Why? She spoke ill of me and I'm just suppose to forgive that? I don't think so." But almost on a whim, Hinata threw Sakura roughly to the ground before walking away with a small frown. "The next time you say something foolish like that, Sakura, there will be no one who can stop me from killing you."

Sakura gasped and coughed while rubbing at her neck, scowling. Most of the others quickly left her, though Sasuke lingered before chasing after his Leader, calling out to her. Hinata merely turned her head, her eyes still holding that red glow, a warning to the Uchiha to tread lightly. "What do you want, Sasuke?"

The male vampire lowered his eyes as he stepped close to Hinata while still being wary of her, he noticed that Sakura's blood was still on her claws. "The Tribe...is getting restless, Leader. We need you! I know you still grieve for Tayuya, but we are still here! Some of the others, they don't think it's good to stay here anymore. They are thinking of leaving, you have to stop them!"

Hinata narrowed her eyes before turning fully to Sasuke, giving him a hard stare which he flinched at. "Why? If thry feel as though they should leave then let them. It is no of my concern what they plan to do, it doesn't matter. If they want to leave, I won't stop them."

"But they are Tribe, Leader! They are a part of us, you can't just let them go, you can't!" Sasuke begged, stepping closer to his Leader while shaking his head. "You can't truly mean that you're okay with them abandoning us, are you? You just can't be okay with this."

"Abandon? If you're mad about abandonment then Tayuya is the one you blame first! She abandoned me! I begged her to stay, I needed her to stay but she died anyway! And I'm stuck here, alone!" Hinata yelled, baring her fangs and glaring at Sasuke now, who took a step back and winced.

"Tayuya didn't want to die, but that wound was too much, even for her! Even Sakura couldn't do anything. Hinata, we all miss her but she's gone, i's been three years, you...you have to let her go and move on. Your Tribe needs you now." Sasuke tried to then move close, holding out his hand but Hinata was the one to back away this time, growling. "Don't touch me! Just...just leave me alone!" She then ran, away from Sasuke and from the Tribe that Tayuya, and once she herself, loved so much.

-Break-

Hinata ran on blindly, her vision blurred by tears, so much so that she didn't even realize that she had wandered quite a bit into Eclipse Tribe's territory. Once she realized this, Hinata wiped her face and scowled. Of all places, why here? She felt like she was being laughed at. Shaking her head, Hinata snorted softly only to met with the scent of Eclipse Tribe warriors on patrol. They were so close and there was nowhere Hinata could go where they wouldn't find her. Growling softly, Hinata stood where she was, there was no use running and soon enough a patrol of four spotted her, the Leader of an enemy Tribe. They quickly broke into a run, baring their fangs as they charged at Hinata, all attacking at once.

Almost instantly, Hinata slashed out with her claws, cutting one deep in his side and knocking him away before getting the same treatment herself. Stifling a hiss of pain, Hinata used her fangs on the next vampire, driving them deep into her shoulder before the other two dog-piled her, forcing her to the ground. There Hinata was flat on her belly and pinned down, where she was soon clawed, kicked and bit until she was very much a bloody mess. Just as they were going to give the girl the finishing blow, a soft yet firm voice called to the Eclipse vampires.

"Stop this at once!" It was the current leader of Eclipse Tribe, Gaara.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Naruto yada yada.**

 **Flashback**

Dreams

When her warriors heard the order, they flinched and reluctantly moved away from the bleeding Hinata. "You can finish your patrol. I'll handle things from here." Gaara muttered lightly, moving some of her long red hair out of her face. When her fighters did not back off, the other woman growled lightly at them in warning before they eventually moved off. Though not before hissing and throwing threats at Hinata who merely scowled at them. Once the others were gone, Gaara knelt down besides Hinata, taking in her wounded body. Her sea green eyes were gentle and calm and held no of the fury that her Tribe possessed when fighting with the Dawn Tribe Leader.

Hinata snarled softly while actually tilting her head back, giving Gaara full view of her exposed neck. "Well, what are you waiting for? Be done with it then."

Gaara narrowed her eyes for a moment before shaking her head. "What would killing you do for me, for my Tribe, your Tribe? Nothing but cause more pain and death. I do not want any more hatred between our Tribes, I want to end the fighting. We both have lost precious people due to this hatred."

Hinata gave the red headed Eclipse Leader a certain look before baring her fangs with a snarl. "Lies, this is revenge for when I killed Temari. Well, after you're done with that, you don't have to worry, my ragtag band of rouges won't harm you. There won't be any reason to. They'll probably dance on my grave, if they even build one, that is."

Gaara narrowed her eyes at the other's words while once again looking over her body, Hinata was still bleeding heavily and the sight and scent of it caused Gaara to clenched her fists and ground her teeth, trying to ignore the tantalizing scent of the other leader's blood. "We...we need to stop the bleeding, or you'll die." she managed to get out though tilted her head when Hinata snarled at her.

"Put one hand near me and I'll rip it off!" Hinata snarled again just for good measure, especially when Gaara seemed to be disregarding her and reaching out for her. "What the hell are you doing?! Get away from me!"

"You're hurt, it'll take too long to bring you back to your Tribe, you'll die before then. Besides I told you, I don't want our Tribes to fight anymore. If they find that you died in my territory, they won't stop hunting us." The red headed Leader then picked up Hinata, trying to be as careful as she could with her bleeding back while maneuvering her to place Hinata on her back. As Gaara started walking towards her home, Hinata ranted and struggled as much as she could, even going so far as to bite Gaara's shoulder.

Hissing in pain, Gaara nearly dropped Hinata but managed to keep her grip while also tightening her hold and growling quietly at her burden, making Hinata release her. "No matter what you may feel, I'm going to help you. But if you insist on acting like this, I may just rough you up a little before healing you. Now, just sit still and cooperate and you will be able to go home soon enough!"

Hinata simply glared at the red head, not believing her for a second but after this, staying quiet and closing her eyes. Seeing this, Gaara continued on, not realizing that as she walked the blood loss finally got to Hinata and she passed out, giving the Eclipse Tribe Leader some peace.

As Gaara walked into her own semi-large mansion for her Tribe, her vampires that were there looked up in confusion and anger when catching on to to the Dawn Tribe Leader's scent. Gaara glared lightly at her Tribe-mates, and meeting her gaze they were quick to turn away but the green eyed Leader could still feel their fury coming off them in waves. "You are not meant to touch this girl. She is mine, to do with as I please. If any of you come near her, especially if I not around, I will personally rip your arms off!" she growled out, baring her fangs and snorting with satisfaction when some of her vampires got up to leave, knowing that Gaara never made idle threats.

With that settled, Gaara carried the unconscious Hinata to her own room where she carefully set the dark haired leader on the edge of the large bed so she could begin work on patching Hinata up, Gaara would wait until Hinata was taken care of to see to her own bite wound. As the other was mainly wounded on her back and ribs, Gaara needed to remove her shirt and just as she did so, Hinata began to stir.

As she awoke and noticed she was topless, her eyes widened and the Hyuuga began to hiss crossly, catching Gaara's scent and remembering what had happened and why she was in an unfamiliar room. However, the Eclipse Tribe leader did not stop in her wrapping Hinata's wounds, taking care of her gashes and cuts with the utmost care and a surprising gentleness. It was enough to stun Hinata into silence, allowing Gaara to finish with little trouble and after she was done, Hinata was still quiet. At least for a while.

"You could have killed me. You should have killed me, at least then I could be with Tayuya again." the dark vampire muttered, looking down at her hands before clenching them.

There was silence between them for a few minutes before Gaara sighed and shook her head, moving to sit beside Hinata who stiffened up at the closeness between them. "Do you really want to die so badly? Do you really want to leave behind living, breathing friends for the company of one dead warrior?" Her tone was soft, almost gentle but underneath, one could tell that there was a burning anger starting to brew within her. "Is one dead vampire truly more important to you then your whole Tribe?!"

Hinata scoffed at the question yet didn't respond turning away from Gaara, her eyes instead showing the hidden longing she still felt for Tayuya. However Gaara didn't take it and grabbed Hinata shoulder, her grip tight enough that it hurt.

"We can not bring back the dead, they exist only in our memories. You can't forsake the ones that are still here for a shadow." Gaara rumbled softly, giving Hinata a certain look before heaving a sigh and turning away. "Go to sleep, you need to rest. Don't worry about my Tribe, I'll be here to protect you."

At first, Hinata was growling the lecture she received. Who the hell did Gaara thing she was? Yet her anger fizzled out as her body swayed and the Hyuuga girl groaned. With a soft grunt, Hinata gingerly laid down on the bed with Gaara remaining where she was. "There is nothing for me here, Tayuya was all I had. You should have let those warriors of yours kill me, at least I could be with my mate. Tayuya..." Hinata then drifted off to unconsciousness after that with Gaara watching on sadly.

"I don't think even Tayuya would want you to abandon your Tribe just for her. Stupid girl."

A/N: Hope you enjoy the interaction between these two. More to come soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Naruto yada yada.**

 **Flashback**

Dreams

During her slumber, Hinata tossed and turned, growling softly. With the scent of her enemies clogging her nose and the painful throb of her wounds, she couldn't rest peacefully. Gaara, who was still sitting at the foot of the bed and leaning against the wall, opened her eyes to see the fitful slumber of the Dawn Tribe leader. Tilting her head, the red head gave a soft sigh before moving to sit beside the other leader only to find that Hinata was crying, tears silently rolling down her face. Soon, even her growling stopped and it then turned into mumbling for Tayuya. Such a thing caused Gaara to shake her head, her eyes growing sympathetic as Hinata continued to cry.

"So you really do want to be with her that badly?" The Eclipse Tribe leader mumbled, only to turn her head when the bedroom door opened. It was one of her warriors, the blonde that Sasuke had fought in the battle three years ago. Said blonde saw Hinata laying in his leader's bed and instantly snarled but one look from Gaara stalled him and he dipped his head. "Naruto, before you say anything, this girl is mine, my responsibility. None of you are allowed to touch her, is that clear?"

The boy looked like he wanted to protest but knew better than to try something so stupid. Instead, he only muttered an affirmative while still glaring at the sleeping Hinata. "I understand, leader. I just wanted to check on you, when I smelled Dawn Tribe and blood, I couldn't help myself. We can't afford to lose you too."

Such worry made Gaara smile though she waved the boy off carefully. "I appreciate your concern but it is not needed. Hinata is too wounded to be a serious threat and well...she's doesn't seem to want to try anything as far as hurting me is concerned."

The blue eyed male didn't seem like he completely agreed with Gaara but as before, knew better than to argue. With a soft grunt, he then left while hoping that Gaara knew what she was doing. Once they were alone again, Gaara looked over to Hinata and after a moment of hesitation, carefully wiped the tears from the other vampire's eyes.

Giving her a gentle look, Gaara shook her head while Hinata, not realizing what was going on, still called for Tayuya in her sleep. "You really do miss her. I suppose that is one thing we have in common, we both miss the ones who were the true leaders. You know, when Kankuro died, I wanted to hate you and your Tribe so much, but no matter what, it just wouldn't happen. Even now, I can't bring myself to hate you, though many in my Tribe thinks I should."

Letting out a sigh, Gaara covered her eyes for a moment, trying to think of just what to do about this situation only to uncover them when Hinata began to stir. The wounded leader looked around around, her brows scrunching before she saw Gaara and immediately began scowling. The red head merely smirked at this before the sound of Hinata's growling stomach taught them both off guard, though Gaara continued to smirk afterwards. Then without a word, the Eclipse Tribe leader to leave the room. Seeing this, Hinata's eyes widened and she tried to follow, only to be let down by her weak body.

Clutching the blankets beneath her, Hinata hunched her shoulders and released a quiet growl. "I won't let them kill me, not easily at least. I'll take a few down with me before it's finished." she vowed softly to herself, her grip tightening. Yet as she tried once again to move herself, the door opened, causing Hinata to look up. "Gaara?"

However it wasn't Gaara, before Hinata could react a female vampire pinned her down to the bed and wrapped her hands around Hinata's neck, strangling her. Hinata was barely able to keep the other's claws from piercing her chest, all while the female snickered darkly. "Can you run? I think not. I think not!"

Hissing weakly, Hinata tried to push the female off her while gasping for air though she began trashing as she soon felt the female's clawed hand stabbing into her chest and coming very close into piercing her heart.

"How does it feel, when your the one being stabbed to death? Soon your heart will be in my hands, just like how you did to Temari!" Hinata coughed up a bit of blood, her vision starting to go hazy as the little strength she has began to leave her. Just as Hinata was about to close her eyes and accept her death, Gaara came in carrying a plate of food. There was a second of silence before Gaara calmly put the plate down before moving to run her claws across her warrior's shoulder before her into the wall with her claws close to the other's eyes.

"I gave the order to leave Hinata alone, she is mine! How dare you go against your leader's orders?"

The dark haired attacker whimpered as her shoulder throbbed with pain and with her leader's claws so very close to her eyes. At first she didn't speak but then Gaara clawed at her face, forcing her to talk. "I...I don't understand you! I don't understand you at all, leader! How can you defend the one who killed your sister?! Why would you stop me from killing her, I don't understand!"

"It doesn't matter if you understand or not," Gaara hissed, baring her fangs as her soft sea-green eyes turned into a blood red hue. "I gave an order, I expect it to be followed. Now, before I change my mind, get out of my sight!" the crimson haired boss then sent her minion packing with another claw swipe to the face.

Licking the blood off her claws with a grunt, Gaara quickly turned to Hinata, finding her just hanging on to consciousness. Leaving the food for the moment, Gaara went and placed her hand behind her head, lifting Hinata up partway. Then after assessing the damage and using her own fangs, Gaara cut deep into her wrist and it held over Hinata's mouth where she merely lapped at the drops of blood before what was going on registered and she opened her mouth, driving her fangs in deep and gulping down as much of the other leader's as she could. Soon enough, the wounds she had healed up a little, just enough so Hinata was able to move before Gaara wretched her wrist free.

Licking her lips, Hinata sighed in relief before looking up at her once again savior and letting out a breath. "Your Tribe is going to end up hating you. That's twice you stopped them from killing me, you can't go on like this."

Gaara said nothing, only moving to retrieve the food she put down and carried it over to Hinata where she then stuffed an apple in the dark vampire's mouth. "Never mind about them, they are my burden to bear. You just focus on getting better."

Hinata looked down on the apple as well as the tray stocked with food and closed her eyes. Gaara was her enemy, and yet she was doing so much for her. Even giving her blood so that she could heal some. Placing her hand over where her somewhat healed chest wound was, Hinata felt something stir in herself, something she thought died when Tayuya did that night, three years. Opening her eyes, Hinata turned to Gaara, who met her gaze without flinching, only to blink when the Dawn Tribe leader uttered two simple words: "Thank you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Naruto yada yada.**

 **Flashback**

Dreams

Gaara remained quiet after Hinata spoke, her head lowered as she realized what the other had just said. Heaving a small sigh, the red head smiled a bit at her and nodded. "You're welcome."

As Hinata ate, Gaara sat beside her, wondering what to do next. She had to keep a better eye on Hinata, one of her own attacking her was proof of that. But with all of her Tribe against the Hyuuga, who could she pick from that would be the right choice? Grumbling, Gaara thought the best bet was to go with her current deputy, Naruto. While he wasn't happy with what was going on, Gaara knew she could trust him. As if her thoughts summoned him, Naruto came into the room, bowing slightly to Gaara, who accepted it with a nod.

"Keep her safe, don't let anyone else near her when I'm not around. That is my order to you. Obey it." Naruto nodded silently as Gaara got up to to check on the rest of the Tribe. Once the red head was fully gone from sight, the blonde vampire scowled at Hinata, who stiffened up bracing for a fight.

"You really are causing us trouble out there. What were you thinking, coming onto our territory? Were you looking for a fight?" he asked softly, though he almost looked bored after the scowl left his face, Hinata tilted her head unable to react to the situation.

"I wanted to get away, I...I didn't want this. Tayuya was the strong one, not me. I'm not cut out to be the leader of the whole Tribe. I never wanted to be."

Naruto narrowed his eyes but stayed silent for a bit before shaking his head. "It doesn't matter, you are their leader now, you can't let it fall to ruin. It is the Tribe your mate loved, you should care for them for her sake."

Hinata stared at Naruto for a second before closing her eyes, as if she wanted to deny what he was saying but after a while, she opened them and with that she knew that she couldn't ignore her Tribe anymore. But then, saying such things was easy, it was executing those words into action that was the hard part.

While Hinata wrestled with her feelings, there was something she finally took note of that she was too preoccupied to notice before. Naruto, it was his scent, he seemed to make sure that his scent was just strong enough to tell which Tribe he belong too. But why did it seem so faint, like he was tying to cover something up? Shifting slightly closer to the male, Hinata took in his scent again, taking in long breaths to try to find something to explain all this. Through the scent of fresh leaves, blood, and even mountain wind, Hinata was able to detect something deeper, a small whiff of a scent that didn't belong to Naruto.

The scent of one of her warriors!

The discovery caused Hinata to blink, though it was possible for someone to catch onto Naruto, he still made it so that it was hard to tell which one of her warriors the scent came from. "Way to cover your bases, I'm impressed." the wounded leader mumbled, causing the blonde to look up. He had been in his own world once silence had reigned and really saw no need to break it, but now the blonde seemed to realize that something was going on and wouldn't look Hinata in the eyes.

"Don't worry, I won't say anything to Gaara, but I better not catch you on my territory."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, flecks of red beginning to form amid the blue before he turned his head. "You almost sound like you care. Like your trying to be the Leader you should be."

"Don't get smart, boy. I could always just let slip to Gaara what you doing." Hinata threatened, causing Naruto to bristle. However he forced himself to calm down when Gaara came back, though she looked mildly curious about something.

"Let what slip to me?" she asked, looking between Hinata and Naruto, though neither really spoke up.

"Just a little misunderstanding, nothing to worry about, Gaara. Naruto is pretty wise, it's a good thing he's on your side."

"He's a good soldier, I don't know what I'd do without him." Gaara replied, giving the blonde a grateful smile while said vampire simply ducked his head sheepishly, humbled by such praise from his leader.

"I think I'll be fine now, Naruto, take care of the others. We'll need food soon, and organize some patrols too." Gaara ordered with Naruto nodding and then leaving to do as he was told. But not before give Hinata a warning glance upon going. Gaara tilted her head at that, but said nothing not thinking it was worth it.

"Hey, do you want to go outside for a bit? We have a garden and well, you're not a prisoner so..." Gaara trailed off, turning her head to the side. If any of her Tribe-mates saw her they would argue with her, besides it made sense. Why was she putting so much effort in helping an enemy Leader. Shaking those thoughts away, Gaara waited for Hinata's answer, surprised a bit when Hinata nodded to the outing.

"Yeah, I think I'd like that. Let's go."

Gaara grinned at that and gently grabbed Hinata's hand, pulling her forward. Gaara made it so they wouldn't be encountered by the rest of her tribe, which was kind of hard but she managed. The redhead led her out into the forest beyond, where further in, Gaara eventually came to a stop to an impressive garden. Set with a variety of vegetables, off to the side there was also flowers of all kinds, roses, tulips, posies, lilies, and many others. Gaara picked a jasmine flower and placing in Hinata's hair with a smile.

"It's a nice contrast, it looks good on you. May it give you the strength to carry on and for us to be friends."

"Friends? Us?" Hinata echoed, tilting her head while being lulled by the flower's sweet scent. "Yeah...I suppose that can happen. I think...I think I'd like that." she muttered softly, giving Gaara the smallest of smiles.

Just as Hinata was about to say more, one of Gaara's warriors came by, scowling and bleeding from a clawed face. "Leader! An Dawn Tribe has been captured! He's wounded a few of us but we have him under guard now. Shall we kill him, milady?"

Instead of answering, Gaara left to see what was going on with Hinata following close behind. They quickly came upon the intruder, and Hinata winced as she saw who it was.

Sasuke."

Sorry for the long wait, but I hope you enjoy this chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Naruto yada yada.**

 **Flashback**

Dreams

Hinata stared as Sasuke was pinned harshly to the ground as Eclipse Tribe warriors crowded all around him. He snarled as more came closer but was surprised when Hinata finally stepped up and moved to defend warriors were angry, how dare this lone vampire walk right up to them to stop their assault, but of course they knew she had Gaara's favor and wouldn't touch her, unless they wanted to feel Gaara's claws.

"Gaara, I'm going to take Sasuke home. He needs to recover and I don't think that we would be too welcome here anymore." As Hinata spoke, she noticed Naruto trying to get close but when he realized she was watching, he backed away. Then Hinata remembered he had one of her warriors' scent on him. What was he trying to do, pass a message to Sasuke? Shaking her head, Hinata reserved to deal with it later, only to have Gaara help with getting Sasuke to his

"I'll escort you to the border. Can you make it from there?" the redhead mumbled, making sure to look straight ahead and not at either of them. But Hinata wasn't upset, she knew that Gaara had taken a huge gamble with her Tribe and even now she was pushing it. Who knew how they would react once Gaara was alone? So Hinata once again shook her head and smirked.

"There's no more you can do, we'll manage fine. Thank you for all your help, Gaara."

The Eclipse Leader looked like she wante to say something but kept her mouth shut, instead she walked them to the border and smiled just a little. "Take care of that jasmine, Hinata. Promise me that you will, and I hope we can meet again."

"I'd...I'd like that. Goodbye, Gaara." Hinata replied as she crossed the border with Sasuke, back to her own territory.

Sasuke had been quiet throughout the whole way back, keeping his eyes to the ground as the pair slowly made their way to the old mansion. Hinata was somewhat rough in getting Sasuke in, but she was trying and Sasuke wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. The blue-black haired sighed softly as Hintata guided him to the couch, checking over his wounds as she did so. Though she did stop to place the jasmine flower in some water, grinning slightly at it before picking up where she left off.

"You followed me," Hinata muttered, getting some bandages and started wrapping Sasuke's wounds. They weren't bad enough that he would need blood, so that was lucky. "If you would have left me alone, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Tilting his head to the side, Sasuke scoffed, his lips curling into a snarl. "I've told you this before. You are my leader, it's only natural I come for you. You were surrounded and captured by an enemy Tribe, they hurt you! Are you saying you were fine where you were?"

"Gaara protected me, she saved me from one of her own trying to hurt me. Gaara...treated me well the whole time I was there, I was safe with her." Hinata countered, wrapping Sasuke's wounded a little tighter than necessary, her sudden irritation spiking at her Tribe-mate's scorn.

"She is the Leader of an enemy Tribe! She might have been trying to butter you up, lowering your guard. How could you trust her?!"

"Because...she was kind to me...she...Gaara only wants peace, she wants the fighting to stop." Hinata hissed, growing frustrated with Sasuke though she stayed around just long enough to finish wrapping Sasuke's wounds before leaving him.

The Dawn Leader went up to her room, falling on the bed and curling up in it, trying to seek comfort in the faded scent of Tayuya that was still there. Hinata closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down and thought about Gaara's and even Naruto's words. She had to take care of the Tribe her mate loved, and already she was fouling that chance up already. Shaking her head, Hinata thought about going back and maybe trying to explain things but the question would be how to do it.

Deciding to bite the bullet, Hinata got up and went back to Sasuke, finding that he hadn't moved and only dipped his head slightly, still a little angry. Hinata sighed at that but for now said nothing, choosing to let the anger die down before trying to talk again.

"Look," she said after a while, somewhat relieved to see that Sasuke had turned his head to as she spoke, at least he was at listening to her. "Gaara doesn't want to fight anymore and really, after...after Tayuya and and even Temari, I don't think fighting Eclipse will do us any good. Really...I'm not sure I can lead you into this ongoing battle, it's too much."

"A Leader needs support from her Tribe, I'm sure most are tired of fighting as well. There's been too much death and blood. But can we trust Gaara? She was a fierce fighter and never before backed down from combat? Being made Leader shouldn't have changed that, if anything the Gaara I know would have relished having more control to start fights." Sasuke replied, going deep in thought.

"A Leader needs support..." Hinata echoed, her mind going into overdrive at that statement, before she decided to hold off on the thoughts that came with it, wanting to have more time to think on the subject. "Alright, I'll try to stem the fighting, get what Tribe-mates who will listen to agree not to go in battle against Eclipse, maybe then we all will be able to reach a better agreement afterwards."

"Oh, is that right? So you're actually going to try at playing Leader, eh?" Sakura sneered, coming from her room to glare lightly at Hinata, though she kept her distance, likely remembering what happened before.

"Sakura..." Sasuke growled, sitting up and beginning to bare his fangs but surprisingly Hinata held out her arm, stopping him even as her body was shaking from trying to not jump at Sakura.

"I...I want to change, to try again. I understand if you have a hard time believing, but I will change, Sakura. And I'll need everyone's support, so please. Help me to help you all." Hinata held out her hand, looking for Sakura to take it, as a sign of acceptance. The pinkette looked at her Leader's hand but scoffed and turned her back.

"No. It's too late for that, you allowed this Tribe to fall to ruin. I won't support you, not when you abandoned us for a dead warrior. I will fight to protect and defend my Tribe, but only them, you are not part of us as far as I'm concerned." Sakura then left to go outside, Hinata watching her every step before hissing in frustration.

Just as she thought, this would be a lot harder than expected.

-Break-

A/N: Ohh, I wonder how Sakura's attitude will play out? As well as Hinata finding out who is the warrior Naruto is seeing. Find out as the story continues.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Naruto yada yada.**

 **Flashback**

Dreams

After Sakura left, Hinata couldn't help but snarl and lash her claws at the open air but doing so made her wounds throb and she stopped, snorting softly. Sasuke rolled his eyes and settled back down, sighing. "Looks like you'll have to try hard to gain her trust, it won't be easy but...if you want I could help you."

"Really? Are you sure that you won't turn against me? That you'll only fight for your Tribe?" Hinata asked bitterly, scrunching up her face and baring her fangs.

Sasuke didn't blink and only tilted his head, a small smile coming from her face. "When I have my oath to protect the Tribe, it was to everyone in it. That includes you, though now you are my Leader. Nothing has changed, I will continue to stand by you, no matter what."

The Hyuuga turned slightly to face to Sasuke, giving the wounded warrior a long look before shaking her head. Her head was filled with thoughts, she was angry that Sakura was rejecting her though at the same time, she could admit that something like this was bound to happen. To say she didn't think that at least some of her Tribe might rebel would be a lie. The question now would be how to fix that but that in and of itself was the problem, she didn't know how to fix this. And she was all alone, there was no one to help her.

"Leader, if you need help, there's nothing wrong with asking. I will help you to the best of my ability." Sasuke muttered, as of he could read her thoughts. "But I can't tell you what to do, that is something you'll have to do on your own. You need to do this, or else things will never get better. Right?"

"...Right." Hinata echoed, closing her eyes and steeling her resolve. It would be a challenge but it was something she had to do, Tayuya would have wanted her Tribe to stay together and Hinata couldn't let her mate down.

But then it hit her, she was doing this on her own and Hinata wasn't sure if she could take that kind of pressure for long by herself. Despite what Sasuke said, she needed help more than just a quiet word and some assurance. She needed a deputy. And she had a feeling she knew who would be a good choice.

"Sasuke, you know I need help with getting the Tribe back on it's feet, and I know you've done most because you love this Tribe. So I want to ask you, would you honor me with becoming my deputy?"

Sitting bolt upright as the question, the blue/black haired vampire stared at Hinata, wondering if what he just heard was a joke. "Leader, say that again, I don't think I heard you right."

"I want you to be my deputy, your loyalty and love for your Tribe is unquestionable and I...I need you. So please..." Hinata lowered her head to him and Sasuke, panicking, moved to pick up his Leader's head.

"I would be honored to stand by your side but please don't lower your head to me. Stand tall with pride, my Leader. I promise to serve you and this Tribe to the best of my power as it's deputy. I would have never thought that this would happen. Thank you."

"No, thank you, Sasuke. I hope you'll put up with me relaying on you. I'm kind of a mess." Hinata replied, giving the male a small smile before going to check his wounds once again before she was shooed away, saying that she should rest as well. And Hinata agreed to that before going to her room, only to realize how lonely it was and with the scent of Tayuya still lingering, Hinata soon come to the decision that she didn't want to be there. Shaking her head, she decided to leave, though she did make a point to tell Sasuke as well as tell him that she would announce his deputy-ship to the rest of the Tribe when she got back. The new deputy nooded before settling down to sleep, his wounds finally getting the better of him.

-Break-

Hinata headed for a spot of neutral territory, a small tree lined grove in between Dawn and Eclipse territory. Settling against one of the tee trunks, Hinata was about to close her eyes when she got the sensation of someone else being there with her. Sitting up, she found that it was only another vampire, though one she didn't have to fear. It was only Ino, the rogue. The blonde vampire was lounging some distance away, looking quite peaceful until Hinata called out to her, beckoning her over.

"Oh, Hinata, haven't seen you in a while. Care to tell me what's going on? You don't look so good." the rogue said with a cheeky grin, moving out of the way of Hinata's claws when the other swiped playfully at her.

"None of you're business, now what are you doing here? I thought you were going to be staying up north for a while."

"I was, until I caught wind that Angel Wing Tribe will be making their way back here. They have been leaving a wake of blood and death wherever they go, ever since Orchimaru died. You might want to make sure your warriors are ready for a fight because Angel Wing isn't going to roll over for a peaceful existence."

"But who is leading them now? Angel Wing has always been peaceful. What changed?" Hinata tried to ask, but Ino had already left, probably going off to hide somewhere.

Alone, Hinata to think about the warning, it didn't make any sense. Orochimaru was a bit odd, but he was a fair Leader, but could his sudden death be related to something else? Shaking her head, Hinta then got up, heading back to her Tribe, to warn them of the possible trouble to come. And to do her part and protect them from any storm that may be coming.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Naruto yada yada.**

 **Flashback**

Dreams

 _'Thoughts'_

Hinata sat alone, trying to think of what Ino's warning could mean. However she soon gave up and went on about her business, she was thinking of heading back to the mansion when she caught wind of a certain scent and tilted her head. Sasuke; was he following her again? Grumbling softly at her new deputy's antics, she called out to him but got no reply. Snorting, Hinata went forward, only to notice Sasuke's scent getting stronger before veering off into another direction. Curious, she followed it until she noticed her deputy's scent was leading her towards Eclipse Tribe's territory. Hinata looked into the dark forest before shaking her head, she had no desire to go back there and stir up trouble. At least, not right now. But...what if Sasuke needed help? There had to be a reason why he had went into an enemy Tribe's territory? Was he doing a solo patrol and got captured? There were no other scent but still, something could have happened.

Hinata closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, torn on what to do. A true Leader would search for her missing comrade despite everything and wouldn't give up until they were found. Sasuke went searching for her. Growling softly, Hinata ran across the border and into Eclipse Tribe territory, she was going to get Sasuke back, no matter what!

It wasn't too hard to follow Sasuke's scent, it was as if he wasn't trying to hide the fact that he was trespassing. Hinata narrowed her eyes as she went forward, what was Sasuke doing this far into Eclipse Tribe's territory? Sighing softly, she continued on,only stopping when she scented a patrol of Eclipse warriors coming towards her. Cursing softly, she looked for a place to hide but other than climbing a tree, there was nowhere to go. And even if she did that, Hinata would still get caught. Hissing quietly, the Leader was preparing herself for a fight, when the sound of the patrol's footsteps started to veer away from her. Letting out the breath, she didn't know she was holding, Hinata continued on grumbling to herself about her close call.

As she moved forward, Sasuke's scent started to fade before vanishing completely, the Dawn Tribe Leader stopped in her tracks and paced in a circle, trying to pick up the scent again but it was gone, Sasuke's trail was nowhere to be. Growling in barely checked rage and slight worry, Hinata was so caught up in her thoughts she didn't realize she wasn't alone until she felt claws digging into her shoulders and a heavy weight crashing into her back, causing her to fall and lie pinned down.

Hinata snarled as she tried to shake whatever was pinning her when she soon felt those claws leave her shoulders and graze her neck, forcing her to stay still. The scent of a female Eclipse Tribe warrior washed over Hinata and she groaned softly, how could she let her guard down like this?

"You! What the hell are you doing here, trying to spy?! Just because my lady let you live once, you think you can just waltz in whenever you want?"

"Ah yes, I just love coming onto enemy territory, it fills my days with joy each time I do it." Hinata muttered sarcastically but was stopped when the warrior's claws scratched harder at her neck, causing it to bleed. She hissed softly as the warroir shifted more of her weight, but keeping her claws at Hinata's throat while leaning in close to her.

"Tell me what you're doing here and I'll let you go." she offered softly, even easing up her grip on the Leader's neck. However Hinata merely snorted and kept quiet, earning a growl from the warrior before pierced Hinata's throat, making her cry out. However the fighter's weight soon disappeared and the sudden snapping of bone was heard. Sasuke stood over the female with blood dripping from his face to his shoulder, his left eye shut tight from the wound.

"Come on, Leader, before more show up!" Sasuke quickly grabbed Hinata and together they headed off to their own territory where the new deputy stood smirking at their escape. "Pretty good, eh, for such a quick retreat?"

"Why did your scent lead into Eclipse Tribe's land?" Hinata asked right away, once her breath was back and her neck stopped hurting enough for her to speak.

Sasuke gave her a sullen look before heaving a sigh. "Right to the point, you are Leader." he grumbled then gave a small smile. "I saw some Eclipse warriors in our territory, so I rushed them and started chasing them off." 

Hinata narrowed her eyes while tilting her head, she didn't see signs of a struggle or scented any of Gaara's warriors on her territory. Was Sasuke lying to her, after she just decided to trust him and name him her deputy? Shaking her head, Hinata let out a breath and turned her back.

"I didn't see signs of a struggle. No blood, no scent of Eclipse warriors on our tuft, no nothing. Sasuke, you said that a Leader needs to trust her comrades, don't make me start to doubt you. Now, let's go, we're still too close to the border, and we've been on Eclipse Tribe's land too many times as it is. Follow." the command was short and left no room with protest. Sasuke winced as Hinata spoke and bowed his head, trailing after his leader just a few paces behind her. However, he did look back to the other vampire's land and seemed to be looking out for something before Hinata's sharp call broke him form his thoughts. The new deputy hurried after her, intending to stay on her good side from now on.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Naruto yada yada.**

 **Flashback**

Dreams

 _'Thoughts'_

Ever since following Sasuke's scent into Eclipse Tribe's territory two weeks ago, Hinata has tried to purposely stay away from the border between them. But then such things were hard to do when you were the Leader of a Tribe and border patrols were constant. And yet though she would conveniently find other things to do than go to the border, she was still wondering over Ino's words about Orochimaru and dealing with her Tribe when she introduced Sasuke as the new deputy. Most were fine with her choice, though there were others, like Sakura, who couldn't care less and even left without congratulating the young warrior on his new position.

Sakura, TenTen, Lee, Kiba, and to a lesser extent Shikamaru and Choji, all of them were subdued throughout the announcement and Sakura was the one to rally them away soon afterward. Hinata scowled as she thought of Sakura, the rose haired vampire was not subtle in her opinion of Hinata, but to think that she had even gotten Shikamaru and Choji into her fold, that was something that made the Dawn Tribe Leader worry.

Hinata found herself wondering her territory and even going back to the stand of neutral ground between the territories. At first she thought she was alone, but then she noticed other's scent already here and grumbled before realizing it was Gaara.

The red headed Eclipse Leader was sitting up on one of the higher branches, her eyes closed and her body completely relaxed. Hinata couldn't help but stare, Gaara wasn't even doing anything and yet the darker haired vampire could not turn away.

"You know, people will start to talk if you keep staring." Gaara said with a smile coming to her lips, causing Hinata to jump in surprise as the red head opened her eyes.

"You were awake the whole time? Gaara..." The other vampire whined softly, earning another, wider smile from the red head. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"Same thing you're doing, for me it's after a good blood hunt." Hinata could now smell and see fresh blood on the other Leader's shirt and she felt a pang of hunger on her own stomach, though Hinata ignored it.

"Ah no, no hunting yet for me. I...I'm crashing and burning. Fast. I think one of my warriors might turn against me, or at least lead others to abandon the Tribe." Hinata didn't know why she was telling Gaara this, she might very well try to use this to her advantage. But Gaara simply stayed quiet before turning to Hinata and jumping down to the ground before her. She gave Hinata a look that clearly said, "Explain."

However Hinata hesitated and after a second, she smirked and moved close, catching Hinata off guard. "You think I'm going to turn against you as well." The red haired female only smiled and reached out to ruffle Hinata's hair, making her look up in confusion. "I told you before, I don't want war between our Tribes, there is nothing to gain for it. Now, with your disillusioned warriors, there isn't much I can help you with. This is something you'll have to face on your own, but know that whatever route your warriors take, you can't let it stop you from moving on. You'll have to walk forward with or without them and if they leave, then make sure the ones who stay will know that you are here for them."

"But...why can't she see that I'm really trying? I want to change, I want to do better!" Hinata blurted out, shaking free of Gaara's comfort but the red head didn't back away. Instead, she moved to pull Hinata into a gentle hug, Hinata at first stiffened up at the contact but soon allowed herself to relax. This was okay, right? Gaara wasn't doing anything but offering her comfort and yet...Hinata soon pulled back from the other's vampire's embrace. Not only because she was an enemy warrior but the dark haired vampire suddenly thought of Tayuya and Hinata knew she couldn't allow this.

"I...thank you, but I have to get going. I'll think about what you said and...and I'll try to prove that things will be different." Hinata looked like she wanted to say more but shook her head before turning back, heading back to her home while Gaara stood alone before letting out a sad breath.

"Good luck..."

-Break-

A week later, Hinata was out with Sasuke and Shikamaru, leading them to scout far into their territory. The Dawn Tribe Leader needed information and she knew the only way to get that was to find Ino. Orochimaru's death and his Tribe cutting down everything that moved was not something that could be ignored but there was another reason for all of this. She had deliberately picked Shikamaru to come with them, not only because she wanted to gauge how much of an effect Sakura was having on him. Plus, if there was anyone who could figure out the motives of the new Leader of Orochimaru's Tribe was, it was Shikamaru.

Shikamaru himself couldn't have cared much about why he was chosen on this mission, though he had already correctly guessed that Hinata wanted to keep an eye on him since he was _very loosely_ allied with Sakura at the moment. While he, like Sasuke and many others, loved his Tribe, he did not like the path Hinata was taking, and while he was thinking of possibly turning rouge with Sakura, he also really didn't want to leave his beloved Tribe behind. So, the best thing he thought to do was give the dark haired Leader one last chance. Even if Shikamaru didn't want to leave his Tribe, if Hinata didn't pull through, he would leave with Sakura.

Sasuke looked back on Shikamaru's brooding face and and tilted his head, he was painfully aware of the tension rising and tried to strike up conversation, hoping to ease the mood. "So, Orochimaru's Tribe, what do you know about them, Leader?"

"Not much, unfortunately. Only that they kept to themselves and lived more closely to humans than other vampire Tribes, his old territory lies to the . Orochimaru, he was a bit odd, watching humans and wanting to seem nice to them. I don't really get it, you can't be friends with your food." Hinata replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Ino told me that Orochimaru was dead and the new Leader is leading them through a trail of death. We have to find Ino so she can tell us more."

"And what makes you think she can tell us anything more than that? For all we know, Ino could be lying, why should we trust a rouge?" Shikamaru called out, narrowing his eyes somewhat as he waited for Hinata to explain herself.

The black haired Leader turned to Shikamaru with a scowl, the beginnings of a snarl clear on her face. "Yes, Ino is a rouge, but one that has proven herself to be a good source of information. While we sit here and can only guess at what the new leader is doing, Ino has traveled to where they are now and seen what they have done!"

"Again, you only know that based on her word! She's a rouge, she has no loyalty to us and could be just as easily leading us into a trap with no regrets!" Shikamaru countered, hissing softly and raising his claws in which Hinata moves to defend herself.

"I won't ignore this, not when it looks like there could be danger coming to us! If this Tribe and their new Leader is coming then I want to be prepared. Tayuya left this Tribe for me to protect, and I don't to fail her last request."

Shikamaru snorted, caught up in his own emotion. "Tayuya...you will never be Tayuya! If she was here, she would cry at the state you left us in! She should never chosen you!"

It was the last thing he got to say, before Hinata's temper finally spiked and she ran her claws hard over Shikamaru's chest, wounding him badly. "Then leave, and take Sakura with you!" she snarled at Shikamaru, clawing at him again when he didn't move fast enough. When it looked like she was going to chase Shikamaru off even more, Sasuke stepped in to stop her.

"Enough, this won't solve anything! He was out of turn but you can't attack him like this! Give it some time, and maybe you can talk it out!" he tried to reason with her, holding her back before Hinata turned to him, her fangs bared.

"No talking. If they want to leave, then I will send them on their way. If they don't want me, then I will not force them to stay." she snarled, wrenching free of the male's grip and heading for home, with the intent to finally settle things between her detractors once and for all.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Naruto yada yada.**

 **Flashback**

Dreams

 _'Thoughts'_

Hinata barreled her way into her home, just as Shikamaru was stumbling in. The Leader wasted little time in tackling him to the floor, pinning him down while using her claws to slash open his back. The agonizing cries Shikamaru let out brought the other Tribe members out, one of which being Sakura who charged at her Leader, freeing Shikamaru who dragged himself away from the fight, toward Choji who shielded him from the tussle.

The two females slashed and bit at each other, spilling blood and tearing furniture, some Tribes had to scramble to get away from the flailing claws and biting fangs. Hinata feinted to the right to catch Sakura off guard, tackling her into the wall and proceeded to tear at her with her claws until the other managed to kick her away. Though bloody, Sakura pounced on Hinata to put her in a choke hold then biting deep into her shoulder to drink some of the leader's blood, healing the pinkette of some of her wounds. Hissing in pain and rage, Hinata threw herself to the ground, taking Sakura with her and repeated this action over and over until the pink haired opponent finally was forced to loosen her grip. Pulling herself from Sakura's arms, Hinata stayed on her hands and knees, panting hard before turning her head to see Sakura already on her feet and licking some of the excess blood she had on her lips.

Hinata growled lowly, her eyes turning red with rage, she quickly forced herself to her feet and readies her claws once again before charged. Sakura smirked as she launched herself forward, the two met each other head on, carving deep gashes into the other's flesh until Sakura went for the eyes with a sadistic grin, causing Hinata to stumble and cry out. Seeing her chance, Sakura ran into her and once again they tumbled with Hinata barely able to hold on.

In the end, Sakura had managed to hold Hinata down, pinning the battered leader on her belly while restraining her arms. The leader snarled angrily at the pinkette as she attempted to struggle free, but to no avail. The pink haired fighter snorted before almost mockingly settled more comfortably upon Hinata's back and grinned, picking up Hinata's head by the hair and slamming it back down. Just to further twist the knife.

"You know, there was a time when I thought that you would make a great leader, that when Tayuya was gone, you could carry us to a bright future. But look at us, you brought us all down with you and burned us all. Just because you couldn't let go of a shadow. You told me once that I could fight you for title of leadership, but I don't want it. I don't want to sully my hands with the ashes of your self-pity, you can have this Tribe but I won't be apart of it anymore."

Sakura then sliced hard across Hinata's cheek once more almost taking out an eye as she did so, causing Hinata to cry out before the latter got up and started walking off towards the door, though wounded, her gait was strong and uninpeded. However, she then stopped there. "Anyone who wants to leave, come with me. You don't have to be shackled to this pathetic leader anymore."

At first, no one moved the Tribe stood muttering to one another before Shikamaru made the first move, walking towards Sakura with Choji following close behind. Soon enough TenTen, Kiba and Lee joined them with most of the Tribe following. Hinata watched them all go with rage burning in her eyes before her gaze went to Sakura and she bared her fangs while trying and failing to get to her feet. She had lost too much blood and she didn't even have the strength to stand.

Sakura shook her head at the display before turning her back and signaling for her group to follow, none of them even look back. After they had left, Sasuke tried to help Hinata up but a low growl stopped him.

"You want to go with her, don't you?" Hinata's voice was low and menacing and Sasuke could feel the impending danger that was about to explode but...he couldn't back away now.

"No, leader. The rest of us stayed. We are with you." There was silence for only a second before Sasuke was flung hard into the wall, his left shoulder was torn down to the middle of his chest by Hinata's claws.

The wounded leader found the strength to stand, found it in her hatred and rage. She stood facing what was left of her Tribe, though through her eyes she did not see Sasuke, Neji, or any of the younger members, all Hinata saw were taunting enemies.

"Liar! All of you are lying! All of you are traitors! You all want her, nothing but backstabbing murders! Get out. GET OUT! GET! OUT!" She then lunged for Sasuke with her fangs and claws bared, only to be tackled by Neji. While Hinata fell hard, her older cousin remained on his feet though he turned to his diminished Tribe.

"Go! I'll handle her. Just go-agh!" Neji was cut off due to Hinata pouncing on him and clawing at his neck and shoulders. The sight caused Sasuke to grab Hanabi and two other child vampire, Konohamaru and Moegi, and run. Though the kids didn't make it easy, with them shouting for him to stop and go back but Sasuke kept running, even though he hated himself for it.

XxXx

At first, Sasuke simply thought to get away, he had no plan other than to keep these children safe. Eventually the burden of towing three children around got to him and the deputy was forced to put them down. All three children wanted to go back, to help Neji, to help Hinata but Sasuke silenced them quickly.

"No, the leader is in a bad way. Neji will stop her, but we must have faith in him. We can't go back, not yet." Sasuke gave a children a sympathetic look before regaining his breath. "Come, I know a place we can go to."

The children all looked at each other but did not resist, how could they? Clinging to Sasuke and taking hold of his hands and shirt, they walked with him towards the location he mentioned, though all of them were worried about both Neji and Hinata. Hanabi especially held them up with her constant stopping and looking back, as if trying to see if her sister and cousin would be running to join them, everything having resolved itself.

The going was hard, the way they had to go was all the way to the other side of the village, especially since the sun was still out and it was draining on Sasuke but the effect was even more so on the kids who quickly started to waver and lag behind. The dark haired deputy had to constantly back track to retrieve one that lagged too far, only to do it again twice more over and over.

Eventually, Sasuke called a halt beside a small grove of trees, the oldest moving to sit leaning against the trunk. The shade did help but the young vampires all collapsed on top of the male's lap, panting somewhat hard. Sasuke grunted softly but didn't hold it against them, this was the farthest any of them had gone, and they weren't even apprentices yet. The deputy was impressed that they made it this far without complaint. As the trio huddled against Sasuke for comfort and protection, another problem soon made itself known, something that the kids as well as Sasuke was falling victim to; the sound of rumbling, hungry bellies. The quiet whimpering of the kids also reached his ears and they began staring at him with pleading eyes which quickly started turning red.

"Alright, alright. I'll try to hunt something down. Stay together and don't move." Sasuke lightly ordered them before easing his way out of their huddle and taking off, though he did feel somewhat anxious about leaving them alone. As he ran to find something for the kids and himself, he realized with a grumble that this would be a lot harder since he was trying to feed three kids. Usually, he would have just given them his own blood but since he was the only one who could defend them if something happened, that something would definitely happen if he went with his instincts and hunted a human. The kids would be in too much danger and he wasn't going to risk their safety for a easy blood meal.

The was the forest, but if he went there he would be eventually run into Elclipse's territory. Dawn owned only a meager part of the forest, the village was their territory. Elcipse's turf was most of the forest area itself and Sasuke wasn't keen on making any mistakes. But the kids, if not given actual food, would have to survive off the blood Sasuke would give them, but that could only be if he hurried.

Shaking his head, Sasuke made his decision and turned towards the forest, that had to be something easy let large enough he could catch to feed three hungry vampire kids. Scenting to leaf scented air, Sasuke sniffed slightly, beginning to back-track, Sakura and new crew were skulking around. And they were still pretty close to Eclipse's border. There was no way he was going to be caught by them, he had to leave now and worry about feeding the kids later. Just as he was about to turn tail and run, a heavy weight plowed into him, sending the young deputy flying and slamming hard into a tree.

"Hmm, a puny vampire, and all alone too. Easy prey for Kakashi." a deep yet smooth voice said as they pinned the dazed Sasuke down. The young vampire was too stunned to move but he could feel fangs grazing his neck and he closed his eyes, baring his teeth in desperation.

 _'No, it wasn't supposed to end this way. Neji...Hinata...I'm sorry.'_


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Naruto yada yada.**

 **Flashback**

Dreams

 _'Thoughts'_

Sasuke stayed perfectly still, there was no way that he would be able to get his opponent at the moment, he was too heavy. As the dark haired deputy waited for the killing bite, he only heard a chuckle before the weight was lifted from him. Still not sure, Sasuke remained still, until he got a good whiff of the other's scent, one that he knew and then he finally registered the other's words.

"Kakashi!" the dark vampire leaped up, turning to face the other who simply smiled, scratching at his head.

"Finally realized it was me, eh? I used to play that trick on you all the time when you were young. Must have been longer than I thought, if you had forgotten."

Sasuke shook his head, a small smile on his face as he took in the one in front of him. Kakashi's appearance hadn't changed, even after the years since he's left the Tribe. His silver hair was still shaggy and unkempt and his single eye still had a twinkle of quiet mischief in it, while he still wore a mask to cover the lower half of his face. The lean vampire smiled through his mask and stood up, holding out his hand. "Come on, we'll go to my place, we can chat there."

Taking his hand, Sasuke coughed slightly. "Er...would you happen to have room for three more?" he asked, giving the older vampire a slight smile.

Kakashi blinked before giving a shrug and a covered smile. "Sure, I don't mind, but something tells me I'm going to get a story."

Sasuke smirked slightly at that and led the way back and was surprised to see that the kids sleeping in a heap with blood on their lips, then noticed two rather big mice lying dead beside them. The deputy felt a little guilty for making them wait but outweighing that was a surge of pride, the kids had hunted their first bit of prey by themselves without any help. Picking up Hanabi and Moegi, the girls unconsciously curled closer into his chest, clinging to his shirt while Konohamaru was handled by Kakashi who held him gently. The silver haired vampire saw the mice and tilted his head before walking, letting out a small grunt as the sun's light fully hit him. "Come on, no doubt these little ones are still hungry. We'll feed you all once we get to my place."

Kakashi then took the lead, Sasuke nodded and tried to follow quickly though his pace was somewhat slow, and before long he could barely keep his eyes open nor keep his pace. Eventually they got to a cozy little house and Kakashi quickly ushered them inside. "Welcome to my home, Sasuke."

Sasuke muttered his thanks, content to fall to the floor with all the energy he had left before he felt the weight of the two kids leave his arms. "You look like you could use a hand, runt. Go sit over on the couch and we'll talk." A female vampire told him in a rough yet calming tone, hearing her Sasuke was vaguely able to recall her name.

"Mmm, thanks...Anko..." the dark haired male was stumbling and fell on the couch with a tired sigh. Despite wanting to sleep, he kept his eyes open a crack and after a moment Kakashi understood why. With a gentle smile, he moved to place Konohamaru beside Sasuke with Anko doing the same. The kids instantly relaxed more once they felt Sasuke and the deputy curled a little around them, finally closing his eyes and giving into rest.

Kakashi and the female vampire, Anko, watched as Sasuke and the kids rested, the two older vampires chatted in low tones. "What do you think happened, Kakashi? These children are too young to be apprentices, do you think Hinata could have already started their training?"

At that, Kakashi shook his head, running a clawed hand through his silvery hair. "No, Hinata's not that stupid. Putting kids that young through training will just kill them, it'll be a waste of future warriors."

Anko made a face but had to agree, really she was just grasping at anything that could be plausible. She watched as the kids clung to Sasuke, holding on to his shirt for comfort and protection. It was clear they were wore out and and the female had to give it to them that they did well to make it this far at such a young age. Anko narrowed her eyes, looking at Hanabi in particular, the girl's body was stiff, her breathing fast and short as if she couldn't allow herself to relax. Anko then only sighed, shaking her head.

"We shouldn't have left. We left our Tribemates because it was convenient for us, but I can see we were wrong. Even if Tayuya didn't need us, Hinata is falling apart, we...we have to go back."

"And do what?"

"We have to fix this. Look at Sasuke, look at his wounds. Hinata's scent is on him, she's gone off the deep end." Kakashi narrowed his eye as Anko continued to speak, his singe eyed gaze boring holes into the purple haired vampire who suddenly smiled at him. "You know we have to go back. They are family. They need us, Hinata needs us. We can't turn our backs on them a second time."

Kakashi closed his eye for a brief moment then let out a sigh, he then opened them and gave a small smile. "You're right, but we can't leave this lot alone. Damn it, this is the worst time for Kurenai to be out hunting!"

"We can't wait! I'll go, stop Hinata however I can. Our regret is leaving and now is the time to repent. I only hope that we're not too late. Ans when Kurenai gets here, try to keep her calm," Anko gave a slightly sheepish grin. "She wouldn't forgive me if she found out I intentionally left her behind. She'd make me scream for that." With a shake of her head, Anko then left out. "Take care of them, Kakashi, you hear?"

Though she couldn't see his response, Anko knew that her friend was nodding, vowing to protect what was left of their little brothers and sisters.

Neji stood panting, his legs trembling and his upper body cut to ribbons. Hinata breathing hard too but unlike Neji, she had burning rage fueling her and she wasn't going to stop now. She had to, she _wanted_ to, to tear Neji apart. Her all consuming hate and bloodlust demanded it.

Hinata swayed her body side to side her blood-red eyes narrowing, Neji followed her movements, his guard dropping, his muscles going slack, even his thoughts started to slow as Hinata slowly walked towards him. Then the Tribe leader broke into a run, her claws finding her target and goring out her cousin's chest. Neji was jolted back to reality because of the pain and tried to clamp down on Hinata's neck but was slammed down, left winded and at Hinata's mercy. Hinata stared down at her older cousin baring her fangs, but just when she was going to finally end it, Anko came slamming her body into the leader's, stunning her.

The older vampire watched Hinata tumble but had her eyes on Neji who was trying to get to his feet. Anko gently pressed him back down to the floor, shaking her head with a sad smile on her face. "Rest now, little brother. You've done enough and it you did it well. I'll handle it from here." Anko whispered softly as Neji closed his eyes, feeling like his long lost Tribemate could finish this. "This time, I won't run away!"


End file.
